Here We Go Again
by KaNaKiRa7325
Summary: Kyouya Ootori has lived a fairly normal life so far.But could a simple dream change all that? Then comes a mysterious girl that somehow already made her way to his life. From forgetting his clipboard, to being late, has Kyouya's life turned to shambles!
1. Chapter 1: The Meeting

_**A/N: Hey guys. Ok, this is another summary of the story which tells more about the OC's point of view. And this is the edited version. Aha, sorry, the first one had lots of errors. Well, enjoy.**_

Summary: An aspiring writer, Hanagurashi Akari was entering the prestigious Ouran High School. She was currently working on a story when suddenly; she forgot what was going to happen next! Now, she turns to the Hostclub for inspiration and hopes that she could give her characters the awesome happy ending she intends on writing for them. Will she get that inspiration and finish what she had started? Or will she fail in vain?

_**UPDATE: Decided on revising this chapter one (AGAIN, LOL). Well, I hope you guys like it. You know, I think it's been a year since I updated. And I must apologize for that. Please for give me! And don't give upon me onegai! So.. without further ado, I now present you, Chapter 1.**_

_**Chapter 1: The Meeting**_

"Mistress! I'm going to give you five minutes!" Someone shouted, stationed at the bottom of a staircase. Her golden blonde hair was pulled up into a neat bun, which gave the onlooker a great view of her electrifying blue eyes. She was staring at a particular pair of doors near the stairs, and was constantly checking her digital watch for even the slightest change in minute. This was certainly not the time for the usual extension her mistress always asks for; they were already behind schedule as it is.

"I'm coming Aoi!" A not-your-typical damsel in distress cried. She rushed out of the bathroom with a dry but messy head of hazelnut hair, and was already wearing her balloon-like yellow uniform. She had her stockings in one hand, the other frantically grabbing random needed objects for school later that day.

Although in this situation a damsel is involved; there is no need for buffoons risking their flashy underpants for a chance on a hot gal, but rather haste is much needed.

"Mistress! 3 minutes!" Aoi called once more.

This damsel was now involuntarily hopping on her left leg while trying to get her right in its designated stocking hole, as she tried to head for her bedside mirror.

"I'm almost ready!"

When she had successfully worn the said troublesome garment, she quickly grabbed her comb, and utilized it to its full potential; placing a bright yellow headband on her head.

With her coat rack as her final destination, she took farewell glances at the other occupants of her massive space.

"Now you two, be good now. Don't cause Aoi too much trouble, okay? Nana-chan, Kamisari-chan, I'm heading off now!" She bid, blowing kisses to her twin Maltese. She got enthusiastic barks, a way for the dogs to bid their loving master farewell.

She dashed out of her room, racing downwards on the elegant winding staircase. She was going as fast as she could, also making sure that she doesn't inflict unwanted pain on herself.

'Why do they make dramatic staircases anyway? These things take so long! They should be illegal or something!'

Not wasting another second, she reached the bottom of the staircase, where her chamber maiden, Aoi, was waiting for her.

"Aoi, remind me to suggest elevators next time."

"Why not just let me help you with your mornings?" Aoi replied, as she hands her mistress a freshly baked banana cupcake. Her mistress chuckled, taking the banana cupcake from Aoi.

"It's like you don't know me."

And with that, she was once again on her way out of the door. She bid her thanks and goodbyes to her maid and made her way outside their manor and into the sleek black car.

She strapped herself in, while exchanging formalities with her chauffeur.

"The fastest route, please."

Her chauffeur gave a slight nod. He stomped on the gas pedal, and rode off to Ouran.

~X~X~X~

"Good morning everyone!" A certain king greeted the current occupants of the host club, a big grin present across his face.

The day was starting great for the Hitachiin twins. They were the first ones to arrive at the Third Music Room, the sun was shining bright, and the breeze outside was refreshing. For random reasons, they sat at the couch farthest away from the door. When they heard someone enter, the paused their Mario Kart game and faced the one who greeted them, intending to return the formality. What they saw left them utterly speechless.

"KYOUYA-SEMPAI?" The twins, Hikaru and Kaoru exclaimed. Their mouths gaped in astonishment as Kyouya-sempai continued to have a smile on his face.

"You're…"

"Actually…"

"SMILING?"

Dumbfounded by the sudden change-of-persona of the shadow king, Hikaru and Kaoru had their jaws wide open. Hikaru even lost his grip on their precious Nintendo DS, almost dropping it. But luckily it was cushioned by the soft pillows the sofa provided.

"Oh boys!" their sempai exclaimed. He waltzed to the center of the room and whirled into what seemed to be a pirouette.

"The sun shines like the most beautiful maiden! The breeze graces us with a thousand sweet-smelling fragrances. It's a beautiful day! What is not to smile about?" The eccentric king exclaimed, trying his best to imitate a move from the ballet masterpiece _Swan Lake_.

"Why not start with that outfit, Tamaki?" Someone commented monotonously, proceeding to his usual spot by the counter.

"Eh? Look at this Hikaru!" Kaoru exclaimed, pulling his brother's sleeve.

"I know Kao! There are two Kyouya-sempais now? Sweet!" Hikaru replied. Deciding that this was definitely going to be an interesting morning, Hikaru switched off their game console and joined his brother, who was already engrossed on the two Ootoris in front of them.

"Mummy, you're so mean!" Tamaki exclaimed; his violet puppy dog eyes trying its best to pierce through Kyouya's icy blue ones.

A glace was all Kyouya spared Tamaki. With one look of uninterest, he went back to working on his usual obligations, leaving the enthusiastic Tamaki's spirit shattered, as if Medusa had stared at it for hours on end.

"A-a-ah…" was all Tamaki could mutter before heading to his little dark corner.

"What's going on, sempai?"

The doors of the Third Music Room were once again opened dramatically, gracing 3 gorgeous young men the privilege to enter. One possessed golden brown hair, with features that of a child, the other one carrying him had height for his advantage, his piercing eyes as another. And the last one wielded brown hair, and brown eyes to match, and his innocence as his primary asset.

All three of them carried what seemed to be bags of groceries, except for the blonde young man. He was carrying a purple stuffed bunny, Usa-chan, and a box of chocolate frosted cake.

"Where's Tamaki-sempai?" Fujioka Haruhi, the brown-eyed young man who is actually a girl, shot the question to her Kyouya-sempai.

"AH! MY DAUGHTER HAS RETURNED!"

It seemed like nothing at all happened earlier to Tamaki. He immediately jumped out of his "sulk-corner" and tried to give Haruhi a massive bear hug. Haruhi merely sidestepped to evade the affectionate gesture and glared at her sempai.

"Please don't hug me, sempai."

"But Haruhi, its father!" Tamaki insisted.

"Sempai" She said firmly.

"My own daughter doesn't even want a loving embrace from her father." As fast as it went away, Suoh Tamaki was once again sulking and heading to his own little corner. Everybody sweatdropped.

"Dono's back." Hikaru whispered to his twin.

"At least he's not pretending to be Kyouya-sempai anymore." Kaoru added.

"Hunny-sempai, Mori-sempai, I think we should bring in the groceries now." Fujioka Haruhi said as she took the lead and carried of her share of groceries.

"Haru-chan, wait for me, Usa-chan, and Takashi-chan!" The blonde Harinozuka Mitsukuni, said, as he was set down by Mori-sempai and chased Haruhi with his Usa-chan's hand remained planted in his. Morinozuka Takashi kept a close eye on the two and followed them inside.

"Haruhi!" Tamaki shouted as he extended his hand dramatically towards Haruhi.

'Another ordinary day has come upon us once again, it would seem.' The Shadow King thought to himself, walking to a nearby window. It was the usual host club today: chaotic, yet at the same time peaceful. But, he could sense a disturbance. Something was wrong.

They were late for class.

~X~X~X~

The gates of Ouran opened, letting a diamond black Rolls Royce Ghost enter its premises. Its 20" chromed alloy wheel stopped abruptly, hastily parking to the side. This action allowed one of its backdoors to freely open. A young girl with hazelnut hair dashed off from her car after saying thanks to her chauffeur. She then proceeded inside.

She ran 2 staircases and 5 corridors to reach her designated classroom: 2-2.

Upon reaching the said room, she abruptly stopped in her tracks. Her heart was pounding and sweat beaded her rosy cheeks. She was worried; this was her third late this week. It was quite ironic that sleep was her enemy – and was always the victor of her epic battles. She had been oversleeping since the start of the week, which led to a multitude of problems.

She got an earful yesterday from their class adviser. Her permanent records were in jeopardy and she was constantly receiving sermons from both her father and her adviser. She certainly wasn't pleased with the turnout of events.

Unfortunately, she had no choice. She opened the door, letting half of her face grace the lights of the noisy classroom. Her cerulean pools widened in surprise.

'Wait… I'm… not late?"

Without any hesitation this time, she fully opened the doors and studied its occupants. All were still clearly pre-occupied with either making gossip, or busily admiring themselves in a mirror or an alternative reflective surface. Nobody even noticed her arrival.

Our damsel couldn't help but smile. She was safe! She had made a mental note to thank her chauffeur when she got home.

She happily made her way to a vacant seat at the very back of her classroom. She didn't mind sitting there because it was right beside a window where se could easily draw inspiration. Once she got to her designated seat, she set down her Calvin Klein backpack, and removed her crème-colored coat and hung it on her chair. She then sat down cozily, brought out her blue journal and picked up where she left off.

…_He thought he was late but he was relieved that he was not. Tsubashi was saved. He reached Naoka in time… before they have to part ways again…_

Our damsel happily scribbled on blank paper, painting a magnificent picture with her words. She was new to all this writing business. But boredom pushed her to the edge, and eventually helped her discover a passion. She would occasionally pause in her frantic writing. She oftentimes looked outside the window, doing weird gestured with her fingers – a sign that she's looking for a better way to describe something, before continuing to jot down what she had thought of.

This went on for several minutes before she had stopped completely. The voices of the occupants of 2-2 were getting louder by the minute, and that didn't help at all with what she was going through! She was frozen like a lifeless statue. Not even her mechanical pencil dared to mark the paper. This is the most dreaded thing no writer could ever imagine.

'Uh…'

'…'

'WHAT WAS I GOING TO WRITE AGAIN?'

Writer's block.

*cue sinister dun-dun-duuuun music*

'You idiot. How the hell can you forget what was going to happen to Tsubashi and Naoka?' She clenched her mechanical pencil and thought hard for a while. But suddenly her peace was disrupted by the re-opening of classroom doors. It was the class president who entered; none other than Kyouya Ootori.

"Listen up guys." Kyouya said calmly as he entered the room. Everyone was silenced upon his arrival.

"I'm sorry I'm late. But I just had a meeting with the teacher. He said he can't meet us for today or tomorrow."

He was cut off by various cheering from the students.

"Wait, let me finish please. He is requiring us to do self study and we're going to have check up tests when he gets back the next day." Kyouya continued, staring at the dismayed faces of his classmates.

'Self study? Aww man…' Our damsel thought to herself; closing her blue journal. She sighed, taking her attention to the happenings that was outside the window. She was still thinking about what will happen next in her story.

'Self study…Take test afterwards.' Kyouya's voice echoed through her head, gingerly reminding her of her task at hand.

'…Self study.'

'…Take test afterwards.'

'…Study. Test.'

Kyouya Ootori's voice couldn't get out of her head.

'…'

"THAT'S IT!" She shouted at the top of her lungs, catching everyone's attention. Everyone turned to her; her face already a bright crimson red.

"Miss Hanagurashi, is something the matter?" Kyouya asked, examining the girl that was in from of him.

"A-ah, nothing Mister Ootori. I'm sorry for disrupting the class."

Hanagurashi then immediately sat back down, embarrassed. But she was at the same time proud of herself, because she thought of a brilliant idea on how to get new inspiration.

'I can't wait for lunch.'

~X~X~X~

The hallways were empty. Some of the students already went home, while the others were scattered across the school's boundaries. It was lunchtime. Classes ended a few minutes ago since, strangely enough, there were no teachers available to attend to most of the students. A figure trailed one of Ouran's corridors, a piece of paper cradled in her delicate hands.

'I can't find it anywhere! I think I've just been bamboozled.'

Hanagurashi examined the paper containing a lot of drawings at hand. Its important markers, plus the designated route was marked with a bright red ink. She stops in her tracks, like what a usual wanderer would do when lost and studied her surroundings. Then she compared it to the map she was holding. Her eyes widened in realization that she already missed her destination.

'Darn it.'

She ran back to where she just came.

~X~X~X~

"Hikaru, I'm bored." Kaoru remarked, as he lazily watched their customer daintily sip instant coffee.

"Me to Kao." Hikaru replied monotonously.

"I hope something interesting will happen today."

Yes, the day started out okay for the twins, but then as it progressed, nothing really sparked their interest. The casually continued their conversations with their customers, before Kyouya approached their table and tapped Hikaru's shoulder.

"Are you busy?" Kyouya asked.

"I have customers, but nothing I can't handle. Why?"

"Can you please welcome upcoming guests for me? Everybody seems to be."

"Sure, Kyouya-sempai."

And with that, Kyouya left. Hikaru briefly spoke to his brother, telling him what Kyouya had just said to him. Kaoru agreed, and then continued speaking to a Brunette and a Blondie.

Minutes after Kyouya requested Hikaru to attend new visitors, the white double doors of The Third Music room opened once again. Its front lines were doused with red and white rose petals as another person walked in.

"Welcome, my dear princess." Hikaru said formally, taking her hand and kissed it.

"Uh, nice to meet you too…" Hanagurashi said shyly. She wasn't used to these kinds of gestures. And this was her first time stepping foot in The Third Music Room.

"Please, come inside."

She was lead to a table near the center of the room. Hikaru was a gentleman enough to help our damsel sit, before sitting himself.

"May I know your name?"

"Of course, princess. My name is Hitachiin Hikaru. And whom do I offer the pleasure of meeting?"

"It's Akari, Hanagurashi Akari."

Hikaru smiled.

"So, what can we be of service?" Hikaru again asked formally, not losing his eye contact from the girl who always loses hers. Innocence always spikes his interest somehow.

"Well Hikaru, can you do me a favor?"

"What can I do for you?"

Akari then whispered her objective to Hikaru, hoping he could help her with her dilemma. Upon hearing her request, Hikaru had this puzzled expression. He gave Akari a confused look, which she also returned.

"I'm sorry, is my request too, ah… difficult?" She asked cautiously.

"No, it is I who must apologize. I'm not exactly sure. Why don't we ask Kyouya-sempai?"

"Then please take me to him."

Afterwards, they both got up from their table and approached Kyouya, and talked over her request with him.

"That is a bit odd. But it's nothing we can't handle. May I ask why you want it to be done today?" Kyouya asked.

"Well, you see… I sort of have a deadline." Akari quickly reasoned out.

"A deadline? Ah well be assured that it will be done." Kyouya responded.

Akari felt assured. At least there was a glimmer of hope at the end of this tunnel. This was definitely one of her greatest ideas yet.

"Alright then, let us begin. Who would you like to attend you first?" Kyouya asked again, checking the hosts' schedules.

"The one who you people call… natural rookie was it?" Akari said, still trying to remember what the nickname was.

"By rookie, you mean Fujioka Haruhi. Please proceed to the table near the window. Hikaru, do you mind bringing our guest to Haruhi?" Kyouya urged. He pointed out Haruhi's table, which was still occupied by a guest, before going back to work himself.

"Of course. Right this way, princess." Hikaru said, impulsively taking her hand and leading her to her destination.

'I guess I was wrong. This will certainly not be another ordinary day' Kyouya thought, observing the silhouettes of Hikaru and Akari heading for the rookie's table.

Once Hikaru lead Akari to Haruhi's table, he too went back to him and his brother's table and attended their own customers.

Akari timidly approached Haruhi's table. It was evident that the host she requested was still pre-occupied by another customer like herself. If it wasn't for Haruhi sparing her a glance, she would have still been staring at the both of them.

"I'm sorry… but can I help you?" Haruhi asked. Both she and her customer were both staring at the strawberry-faced Akari.

"Uh, Fujioka-san. I will be one of your, uh… customers for today." Akari said, using all her confidence to flash both of them a calm smile. It was obvious that she was not used to carbon-based life form interaction; a social recluse.

"Just in time, I'm about to finish. Just a moment please." Haruhi said, returning her smile warmly. Haruhi then averted her attention back to her current customer and ended their session with a contract for a next session, and with an exchange of formalities. That said customer then walked away, leaving the chair available for our damsel.

Once again, formalities have been exchanged. Fujioka Haruhi has learned to be quite gentlemanly, despite the fact that she is a girl. She helped Akari to her seat before proceeding to her own, and poured tea for both of them.

"May I know your name?" Haruhi asked politely.

"It's Hanagurashi Akari."

"I see. It's nice to meet you, Akari. My name is Fujioka Haruhi."

"It's nice to meet you too, Fujioka-san."

"I see. So would you like to share anything with me?"

"Actually I want to ask you a few questions."

"Really? Okay, I'll answer anything I can."

"Thanks." Akari said, gratefully.

"Now to start."

"Haruhi-kun, what do you think of love?" Akari asked, quizzically as she brought out her mechanical pencil and a green notebook.

"Hmmm… Love? I really don't think about it too much. I like to prioritize on maintaining my scholarship and my family, of course."

"But do you at least think of it?"

"Not really."

"Ah, do you know stuff about Love?"

"I do, at least I think I do. It's what I hear from my customers."

"I see. Tell me more, please."

And so the session started with love. Questions, experiences and other tidbits were thrown around at lightning-fast speeds, each taken down by Akari, each shared by Haruhi. For the whole hour, it has been nothing more than back and forth questions, jokes and a lot of tea and cookies.

"Was that helpful, Akari-chan?" Haruhi asked; finishing her 2nd cup of tea.

"Yes it was, Fujioka-san. Thanks a lot" Akari said gratefully

Haruhi smiled. It was a good feeling that she was of help, especially since this was Akari's first experience being her customer.

"No need to be formal with me, Akari-cha. Now, may I be the one to ask you something this time?" Haruhi asked our damsel once more, her smile getting wider by the minute.

Before Akari could acknowledge the question, their session was over. Akari didn't have time to even find out what Haruhi was going to ask her.

"I think we still have time, Fujioka-san. What was it that you were going to ask me?" She asked Haruhi innocently.

"Oh, nevermind that. See you next time, okay?"

"Okay!" Akari answered enthusiastically.

After they exchanged pleasantries once more, Akari left Haruhi's table.

"Onto the next one." Akari whispered to herself as she was heading towards the table of the next host.

She went thorugh roughly the same process with her other sessions with almost every hostclub member. From Hikaru and Kaoru's session:

"What would you do if the one you love is leaving?" Akari asked.

"I'd let her be. At least I'll know that she's going to be happy." Hikaru replied, unconsciously playing with a strawberry.

"I won't." Kaoru replied, contradicting his twin brother.

"I'll chase her down and convince her to stay with me forever."

To Hunny and Mori's session:

"Aka-chan! Aka-chan! Do you want to eat cake with me?" Hunny said, his Usa-chan in wrapped around one arm while the other devoured banana cake.

"Ah, no thank you Hunny-sempai." Akari said, chuckling. Then she turned to Mori.

"Are you always this quiet Mori-sempai?"

Mori was silent as usual. He was just staring at both Hunny and Akari, which made her feel sort of conscious.

"Ah, I see…" She said awkwardly, as she sweatdropped.

And then Tamaki's session came…

"Love is the most powerful thing in the universe! It can do anything and everything! Love is eternal!" Tamaki said, his eccentric voice echoed throughout the room, causing most girls to scream like the little fan girls they are and faint.

"Will that be all, princess?" Tamaki asked, rapidly recovering from that statement.

"Ah, yes. Thank you very much Suoh-san." Akari said, closing her green notebook.

"No, no princess. Just call me Tamaki." Tamaki said; his captivating violet eyes were staring at her docile cerulean ones, effortlessly piercing through hers. It would make any girl's heart melt, and our damsel was one of its willing victims. Embarrassed, she expressed her gratitude with a smile and a small thank you before leaving Tamaki's table. She then approached Kyouya with and unsatisfied look on her face.

"Are you finished, Hanagurashi-san?" Kyouya asked, immediately noticing her expression, but chose to be pre-occupied by his clipboard.

"I haven't found it yet." She said, approaching Kyouya.

"Oh?"

"May I have another request? I know I shouldn't ask for more than what you've already given to me, but I really need to finish what I've started." Akari said, this time with a determined expression on her face. That determination gave Kyouya an interest in her motives, making him feel… different somehow.

There was a brief silence. It was awkward, and it made our damsel feel like she stepped out of line somehow. She immediately regretted her decision.

"Alright, what is your other request?" Kyouya said, finally giving in.

Akari couldn't keep the relief and excitement she was feeling. If she could jump up and down right there and then, she would have, but she knew better. It was better to keep things civilized, than to blow one's chances on the said request.

"Can I have a session with you?" She asked as calmly as she could.

From time to time, Kyouya had been asked by some customers to have sessions with him. But no one has actually been with Kyouya in a session.

Streaks on warm colors entered the windows of The Third Music Room without hindrance. The fresh, enigmatic fragrances that the blossoms offered plagued the four walls of the said room. It was passed service, but there were still people inside. One was a gentleman enough to help the lady to her chair, and pour her tea, before heading to his own chair.

"Thank you for having me as a customer." Akari said, shifting from different positions, trying to look Kyouya in the eye.

"No problem."

"Okay, to start." Akari said, opening her green notebook once more.

"Ootori-san, have you ever been in love before?"

"No." Kyouya answered without looking away from his clipboard.

"No?"

"No."

"Not even a little bit?"

'Her persistence is uncanny, I must say.' Kyouya thought, not answering Akari's question.

"Kyouya-san," She called his attention once more.

"Hm?"

"Do you ever look away from your clipboard?" Akari asked innocently. That question took Kyouya a little by surprise. Nobody has ever asked him that before.

'This girl has guts' He thought. Kyouya couldn't hide the little smile that was dancing along his pale face.

"Well, normally, I don't. But for you, I'll make an exception." Kyouya said. This time he was looking straight at Akari. This gave her a chance to look at Kyouya's face very well.

'Those eyes, those sad blue eyes…

…is as the same as Tsubashi's'

_"Can you hear them Kaoru?" Hikaru whispered to his brother._

_"No, Hikaru. How about you?"_

_"I can't either." He exasperated._

_"Quiet you guys, or they'll hear you." Haruhi scolded._

The rest of the members of the host club were all eavesdropping on Kyouya and Akari's session. Normally they wouldn't do this, but it was rare that Kyouya took a customer.

_6:30 pm. _

Akari started her session with Kyouya at around 5pm. Surprisingly, the hosts who were listening in on them heard Akari chuckle a few times during the session. When Akari checked her watch, she gasped at the time.

"Oh no! I'm sorry but I've extended 30 minutes!" Akari exclaimed.

"It's alright. Are we done with this session, Akari-chan?" Kyouya asked with a gentle voice.

"Uh, yes." Akari said. She stood up and approached Kyouya.

"Thank you very much Kyouya-san!" Akari said as she bowed in front of Kyouya.

_"Looks like the session is over." Tamaki suggested._

"No need to thank me, I just did my job." Kyouya said; placing a hand on Akari's shoulder.

"Um, Kyouya-san?" Akari said, as she gracefully lifted her head to face the icy blue orbs of the person in front of her.

"What is it?" Kyouya asked.

"_What's Aka-chan doing?" Hunny asked, but chose to keep quiet after that._

There was little distance between he and this girl in front of her. And yet, it was as if that was the longest seconds Kyouya was ever part of. She approached Kyouya with grace that Kyouya felt like no angel could match. Her cerulean eyes were instantly making him feel something… something warm. Then suddenly all he could see was her lips crashing in his pale cheek. She had kissed him.

"Thank you. Now I can finish what I've started" Akari whispered softly to Kyouya.

"WHAT THE-"Tamaki shouted from a distance. His face was flabbergasted, and he was pointing his index finger towards Akari and Kyouya's direction.

"Sempai! Keep your mouth shut!" Haruhi said, as she and the others, covered Tamaki's mouth.

"Ah, please excuse my eccentric sempai. Please continue." Haruhi said as she bowed her head and helped drag Tamaki away from the scene. Akari chuckled; glancing at the direction where Tamaki sprung out of hiding. It was happening too fast for him. And for the first time, Kyouya couldn't keep up, couldn't react at all. He was pulled back to reality when he heard Akari's sweet voice.

"See you, Kyouya-kun." She smiled.

KRING!

Kyouya Ootori woke up with a jolt. His sheets looked like a hurricane had just wreaked havoc in them, his pillows were scattered following the patterns the sheets provided. His pajamas were already clinging to his chest, and other parts where it extends. Kyouya's hair was messy and he was confused. He looked at his alarm clock with pure hatred, not only because it disrupted his glorious sleep, but it was also because it ruined his dream, which by the way he wouldn't admit enjoying.

Kyouya gingerly got out of bed. He wore his comfy slippers and stretched for a few seconds. He then went to his closet and got fresh clothes for his morning shower.

'…it was only a dream."

~X~X~X~

"Alright class, settle down." The teacher said as he entered classroom 2-2, Kyouya Ootori's classroom.

"We have a new student I'd like to introduce." That statement that the teacher said stirred up most of the students. Chatter immediately started rounding the four walls of the said classroom. Rumors, questions and predictions about the new student simultaneously flung here and there.

"Okay, okay, settle down." The teacher asserted, trying his best to calm the students down.

"From now on, she'll be staying in our care. Please treat her well. Come on in, Hanagurashi-san." He then invited someone to enter.

'Hanagurashi? Don't tell me…' Kyouya thought as he looked at the classroom doors and turned pale. A young girl wielding hazelnut hair and cerulean eyes entered. She wore a crème colored coat, and a Calvin Klein backpack. Her smile was the highlight of her innocent face, as it dazzled most of the people that would look at her.

"Good morning everyone, my name is Akari Hanagurashi. It's nice to meet you all." She said; her smile still in tact.

She started to survey each faces of her classmates. She looked sideways, meeting ht eyes of a pale person sitting at the very edge of the classroom.

'Hmmm, I think I know him from somewhere…' she thought to herself, averting her gaze away from him. But, as she did so, realization dawned over her. She turned back at him and stared in wonder.

"Kyouya Ootori, is that you?"

_**A/N: Hope you guys liked it! Well, since you guys were so siked about the continuation, I've decided to make it longer. This was originally a oneshot. Tee hee. XD hope you guys will continue to read and comment this. :D**_

_**UPDATE: THANK YOU ALL FOR READING~**_

_**~kana-chan**_


	2. Chapter 2: The Tour

_**A/N: Second installment! As you guys know, this was intended to be a oneshot (notice the cliffhanger?) And I must apologize for that. ^-^' Anyhoo… I guess I could write this story better cause I'm a new student myself and I understand how a new student should feel, so, yeah. But enough of that. Thank you all for the lovely reviews! I'll continue writing till my fingahs hurt! XD … Wait, I just realized that Author's notes are supposed to be written AFTER I finish the story. ^0^**_

_**CHAPTER 2: The Tour**_

_Great…just great._

The first day of school wasn't all that was cut out to be, it turned out. Yes, she was a new edition to this school's growing population of rich kids, and she knows no one… Well, with the exception of Mr. Ootori's son. To the reason why she knew him, on her opinion, is because of the striking resemblance he has with his father.

There were some instances throughout the morning wherein she'd feel uneasy, all of a sudden, thinking that people were watching her. It was as if a big chunk of her breakfast, which was a banana cake, handed by her maid before she left her house, was wedged in between teeth or something. But she dismissed it, nonetheless, as nothing but rubbish and continued with coping with life in a new environment.

Ignoring most of the chatter circling the classroom, she finds her sanctuary in the book which was planted in her hands. It was a way for her to get inspiration on her new profound hobby: Writing. She's currently experiencing a writer's block, which she finds it very annoying and was sure that it was irrational for a novice to experience such. She barely started! And looks at where she is now. Well, she had to do something besides stare at air for the next two hours of free period.

Then, she had this sudden urge to explore her newfound home, if it was possible. However, Akari was confined in the four walls of her classroom; her cerulean eyes glinting with the fear of getting lost in Ouran's massive corridors. What an embarrassing dilemma, isn't it? But a brilliant reminder suddenly struck her, as if it slapped her with ungloved hands which were shoved into ice before colliding with her face. There was still hope, she still has Mr. Ootori's son as, at least, a companion, right?

With all the chatter that was building up in the not so little classroom, it was inevitably getting harder to concentrate. Without any sign of a teacher there and being the new student and all, she didn't have a choice but make do with what she has, including the incredibly annoying headache, which she could feel was now turning to a full fledged migraine.

'How annoying' Akari thought to herself; describing the headache she was having. She surveyed each and every face of her chattering classmates, unknowing that her suspicions were correct. As soon as she turns her attention back to her book, wandering eyes would turn to her. And once that happened, she was soon the topic of almost everyone's conversation. Everyone was watching her. And yes, that included Kyouya Ootori, Mr. Ootori's son.

_**~X~X~X~**_

'Strange' He thought. He never expected himself to actually loose his cool composure in front of class. He turned pale when he saw a ridiculous apparition of some sort this morning. She was standing there like a perfect doll from a not so perfect dream, nonetheless, a somewhat enjoyable one. He had to admit it to himself, he enjoyed his dream. Kyouya wondered if his co-host club members felt it too whenever they have customers, although this was sort of a different situation from a normal session.

'Is she really the one from my dream?'He thought to himself. He would often dismiss any supernatural connections concerning matters of his life, but today was exceptionally different.

He couldn't help but to stare at her, who is, apparently, the daughter of one of his father's business partners. That would vaguely explain why she knew him. The contents of his brain were all scrambled up on the inside of his head. He was rarely like this. No matter how hard he tried to scrutinize his current situation, he can't seem to land on a plausible conclusion. He was starting to go back to supernatural connections once more. He was a logical man, and he concluded that the apocalypse of this universe would happen before he would associate anything concerning the paranormal with his life, with the exception of the host club's gigs of course.

He cursed himself once. Why didn't he recognize her from his bizarre dream? Why didn't he remember her? Unanswered questions filled his mind which made him even more frustrated.

'Maybe with the slight resemblance I have with my fa- no, it couldn't be.' He cut his thought right there. He refused to associate himself to his father. He refused to think about such crap.

After that stressful debate with himself, he looked at the hazelnut hair of the said girl once more and let out a quiet sigh. It was getting noisier inside the classroom, and he was starting to get a headache.

_**~X~X~X~**_

At last, it was their break. After enduring two hours of headaches, it was time for his duties as a host at the well known club at Ouran. Dismissing the thought of what he considered as a mere doll from his dream, (which was starting to annoy him even more) he quickly gathered his needed belongings for his task and quickly turned to the direction of the double doors of his classroom. But something stopped him short.

He forgot his clipboard.

He was more out of it today that he thought. Forgetting his clipboard was pathetic, especially for him. It was as if it was a part of his being whenever he entered the always-petal-doused-doors of the third music room. And forgetting this was like forgetting his whole shadow king identity which he plays so very well. He immediately went back to his desk and gathered the missing clipboard from his belongings when suddenly he heard that one thing he was subconsciously expecting.

"Um, Ootori-san?"

He looked up and saw hazelnut hair tangled in white cherry designed earphones plugged to what he assumed an iPod she pocketed earlier. Cerulean eyes met his gaze next. It was like pools of tranquil water were pulling him closer and closer and closer…

"Ootori-san?" She asked again, which pulled him back to his present situation. A deafening silence engulfed the two of them.

"Y-yes? What can I do for you? He finally said. She stared at him, quizzically. She opened her mouth, attempting to say something, but she immediately shut it. Again, they were engulfed by silence.

"U-um, c-could you please spare me some of you time to g-give me a… um, quick tour of the school?" She stammered. It was obvious she was nervous. Kyouya assumed she was just shy and the pressure of being a new student was still kicking in. She stared at him; the tranquil pools she had were now glistening with hope.

Frankly, how could he refuse when everyone was watching the two of them?

_**~X~X~X~**_

The white doors of the third music room were open. Today, they felt like they were on par with the rich nobles of that once ruled Europe. They were dressed in robes that mimicked those who belonged to Medieval Europe, where kings and queens reign supreme. Red petals that were laid on the floor were doused with white petals to improve the ambiance for the enjoyment of their customers. Every host was busy with their duties, all except a certain host, who had a notorious reputation for being the earliest to arrive at their meetings before the white doors of the third music room were even open to customers.

"Hikaru!" The infamous blonde king called to one of the host club members.

"Oh, dono. What do you need?" A certain red-headed guy answered casually. He was dressed as King Henry VII's only son, and had a twin who was wearing the same outfit as he, only in inverted colors.

"Have you seen Kyouya anywhere?"

"Only this morning, dono. He even told me and Kaoru not to be late." Hikaru stated ironically before his attention was called back to his customer. It was true; he always comes in earlier than everybody else so that he could monitor the punctuality of each and every host club member. But now, it looks as if the tables are turned.

'I wonder where he is.' Tamaki wondered as he headed to the other tables of the other host club members to ask them the same question he asked Hikaru about.

Just then, he was stopped in his tracks because the doors of the white music rooms were once again decorated with new blotches of red and white dots that Tamaki assumed as petals. It was welcoming time once again. The others were busy and, as much as he hated the thought of customers waiting for him, he pleaded them to attend to them some other time, because he needed to find his four eyes friend first. Tamaki took the initiative to welcome the new guest; he could do at least that.

"Welcome!" Tamaki said gleefully, bowing like a knight to the guests. He raised his head and managed to beam them a smile.

"How may he-"Was the only words that Tamaki could say, because his brain was done processing the information it was receiving at that time. And it shocked him. He was now staring into the cold eyes of his friend.

"K-Kyouya?" Tamaki stuttered as his eyes widened to comic proportions. Upon hearing the echoes of Tamaki's scream, all heads turned to the trio. Some by curiosity, the others by annoyance, but whatever the reason, all eyes were now turned to the blonde king, the shadow king… and a nobody?

"Sorry I'm late." Kyouya stated informally, ignoring the annoying whispers and the irritating glares at Akari, which made her more insecure. Kyouya was a bit puzzled at his friend's, and everybody's reaction.

"I forgot my clipboard."

Silence filled the room. Kyouya lifted a brow at his blonde friend, which was a futile attempt to make him stop staring. Akari continued to blush different shades of red as she desperately tried to hide behind Kyouya. Seeing his blonde friend, on the contrary, everyone there staring in silence made Kyouya realized he was forgetting something, again.

"Right, this is Hanagurashi Akari. I took her on a tour of the school because she is a new student. Please forgive my tardiness; I assure you, this will not happen in the future." Kyouya said apologetically, not knowing that Akari was pink as a very ripe strawberry and was still hiding behind him.

Everyone was still quiet! It made Akari more insecure than ever. Akari could feel that everyone, again, with the exception of Mr. Ootori's son, was staring at her. Maybe she was the odd man out. Or was she? Was she? Or was it because of Mr. Ootori's son?

"O-oh! Please forgive him! As he said, I asked him to take me on a tour." Akari stuttered, following the lead of Kyouya.

Upon hearing the voice of the mysterious companion of Kyouya, everyone relaxed a bit, for reasons that puzzled the trio. Each of them went back to their usual business, most of the customers simultaneously deciding that it was too awkward to pursue Kyouya and that Hanagurashi girl about this matter. Although some turned their heads away, they still thought ill of Akari, thinking that she doesn't deserve Kyouya in even a certain amount of time.

"K-Kyouya" Was all Tamaki could say. His eyes were still wide.

"Please let me explain later." Kyouya said to his friend.

"I advise you to attend your customers."

And with that, he left Tamaki stunned and he continued the tour. It was getting awkward just standing there.

_**~X~X~X~**_

Akari was still pink as strawberries as she continued to follow Kyouya around the third music room. She continued the tour and got associated with every host club member, and she was particularly interested in a certain host, or two.

"The twins over there are Hikaru and Kaoru Hitachiin, whom we classify as "the little devil type" of the host club." Kyouya remarked monotonously as both he and Akari watched their antics from afar. She noticed several of the girls there faint over a gesture that they did, for reason unknown to Akari.

"Um, are they gay or something?" Akari asked Kyouya innocently. The remark made several girls who were eavesdropping on them blaze with anger, which were immediately put off by Hikaru and Kaoru.

"Out of everyone, those two are the oddest couple I've seen so far." Akari remarked, unknowingly triggering a short term memory Kyouya previously dismissed.

_**~X~X~X~**_

_ As Kyouya and Akari entered the wildly decorated third music room, apart from the eerie glances both of them received, he heard weird murmurs. A particular one caught his attention._

"_Just look at them. Aren't they the oddest couple here? I mean look at her. Can't she see that cherry earphones and awesome eyeglasses don't match?"_

"_I don't see the problem."_

"_Are you an idiot of something? Just compare…"_

"… _You're right!"_

"_See? I'm always right after all."_

_ No one except Kyouya noticed. And for him, that conversation was utterly idiotic._

_**~X~X~X~**_

Once again Kyouya let out a sigh. And this one was a fairly noticeable one. He was the verge of running away from this situation, while his dignity was still in tact, or he could continue to make a complete fool out of himself again, on his opinion. This tour was unpredictable from the very start. From being the shadow king, to be the other half of the oddest couple people ever saw. It was a tempting dilemma alright. But he couldn't leave her like this; it would ruin both his and the host club's reputation.

It seemed like everyone has resumed to their normal everyday routines because it looks as if everybody has forgotten of Kyouya and Akari. As they continued with the tour, she couldn't help but to notice something about her tour guide.

"Are you alight, Kyouya?" Akari said. She blushed a bit when she realized that she actually called him with his first name instead of the "Ootori-san" she was getting accustomed to.

"…I'm sorry."

Kyouya didn't seem to notice and offered Akari a seat in a table beside the massive window that was overlooking the beautiful gardens. It was almost time for them to resume their classes. They were only given an hour to finish business and they used most of that hour for the tour.

"Why do you ask?" Kyouya replied casually. He poured some tea for both of them and offered a few Bavarian sugar cookies to her. He suspected she hasn't eaten anything since she had breakfast, if she even had any. And that was around 6 hours ago, he assumed. She thanked him before she chewed on a sugar cookie thoughtfully. She washed it all down with steaming tea before she answered Kyouya.

"Well, I don't mean to be nosy, but you look pale. Rather, you look paler than usual." Akari commented off-handedly. He knew right away she was a keen observer.

"Ah, well I'm feeling fine. Thank you for your concern." Kyouya said monotonously. He kept staring at the Bavarian sugar cookies and how many she had eaten. He observed her intently, as she picked up her fourth cookie. He was right, she was hungry. He worked his way up. He was now looking at her white cherry designed earphones she wore. It was tangled with her hair, which looked like she did that on purpose to make her look cute, but Kyouya doubted that theory. Besides, she _did _look cute. Now he was staring at her cerulean orbs. The tranquil feeling he was getting calmed him.

'Perhaps it wasn't all bad after all' he thought to himself as he let his thought wander off. But something was wrong…

They were late for class.

_**A/N: Wooh~! I'm done! Sorry for the late update. I got all busy with schools starting. And like I've said, I'm starting in a new school so DOUBLEY pressure. Thank you for all the wonderful comments! I'll try to update earlier this time.**_

_**Byebee~!**_


	3. Chapter 3: The Bandaid

**A/N: Yeah! Chapter three is finally here! I must apologize for the lateness of this update. I had trouble thinking out some scenes, plus I was a bit distracted so, sorry to keep you waiting~! I also must show my gratitude to your wonderful reviews!**

**Alright, enough chit-chat let us begin!**

**Italics represent a character's thoughts, btw.**

**Chapter 3: The Band-aid**

That was the second time Kyouya was late for anything in his life so far. And it was only 1pm.

Kyouya and Akari entered their classroom in a hurry. Their teacher considered them as tardy but only gave them warnings, since he too failed to arrive at the designated time. Both rushed to their seats and acted like nothing happened.

Annoyed, Akari quickly turned off her iPod and untangled her cherry earphones from her hair. She hated it when it tangles up with her curly hair, but she couldn't help it. After that, she concentrated on binging out her orange notebook and a pen and took notes.

Meanwhile, Kyouya couldn't think straight. He was late again. He was absorbed in their conversation, then apparently lost track of time. It was a very good thing the teacher let them off the hook this time. But what if it happens again? No. he wouldn't let something like this happen again. Like his companion, he occupied himself in taking notes, although this particular subject was already all too familiar to him. The host club did an ancient Japan gig and Kyouya was in charge of research.

_Damn, I really need to get my head straight._

_**~X~X~X~**_

Once again, they were dismissed. Only this time, they were obliged to go back to their respective homes. That afternoon was reserved for teachers' monthly meeting, so classes were cut at 3pm. This morning, the host club opened their doors to their customers, but now they were shut, and the inside was deserted.

Hanagurashi Akari walked alone this time. She wanted to get acquainted with her new surroundings once more. She passed a few corridors, before she got lost. Only a few hours ago, she was given what she considers an impressive tour of the school, except for the slight miscalculation of time and other elements she tries to forget. She turned to a left and found herself surrounded by gold plated white double doors. She remembered such with the tour given earlier by Mr. Ootori's son, but she couldn't remember which door they entered. She passed by a few rooms, which turned out to be study rooms. She wanted to enter one, but it was too noisy and nothing will be of meaning to her trip if she goes inside without learning anything once she gets out. The sight of the noisy student-filled study rooms convinced her that the room she entered earlier was in another corridor, in another set of gold-plated white double doors.

She continued to walk, looking for a quiet place to pass time. She didn't know how to get to Ouran's majestic gardens, and Kyouya already did a lot for her earlier, and she didn't want to be a nuisance to him. She passed by music rooms this time, each plated with gold, like all the other doors. Curiosity stood side by side with her emotions at that time. She couldn't resist the urge to explore, and it was odd for her. She felt like she needed to explore the said corridor. It feels all too familiar to her.

_Alright, let's see…_

_The First Music Room…_

She took a peek inside and found that the room was occupied. She assumed it would be an orchestra, getting ready to practice. Although they were incomplete, she could see the woodwind instrument players gather to one side, the percussion to another, while a soloist, she also assumed, was standing in the middle of their improvised stage; trying to explain to his fellow violinist something. Her eyes wandered off to the other performers. She spotted someone whom she assumed to be the conductor of the orchestra, running frantically around, checking up on each and every performer. To Akari, she seemed to be a good conductor, despite the menacing but subtle look in her eyes. Akari would have stuck around to hear them play a piece or two, but she thought she might be interrupting them. As she was leaving, she caught the soloist's attention, which she also noticed. As the soloist approached her, she immediately scrambled to her feet, silently but quickly closed the door behind her and ran for the nearest hiding spot she could find. She was shy and she didn't know how to mingle with others. And besides, she might get in trouble, in case the practice was a closed one, strictly for performers only. She ran to where she came from and ducked for cover from the corner of the hallway. It wasn't the best hiding place, but that would have to do.

She could hear the door creaking open, making her feel agitated. She heard a few footsteps going to the other direction.

"YE-"

She almost jumped for joy, thinking that she was out of the woods, but the sound of footsteps going to her direction made her quiet, and more agitated. She immediately covered her mouth with both of her hands and leaned to the wall; flushed.

_I never knew my idiocy could extend to comic proportions!_

She heard footsteps gong faster, still going to her direction.

"Hello?" He called out.

He slowed down his pace, almost as if he was sneaking up on her. But when he got no response, he let out a quiet sigh and went back to where he came from.

Just before he entered; only a few inches away from the double doors, he turned back to the direction where Akari was hiding, wearing a stern expression on his face. Akari couldn't see him, but she could feel that his eyes were pinned to her current spot.

"I know you're there."

That sentence made her jump. But it made her question too. If he knew she was hiding here, then why didn't he just go to her immediately?

"I think you're new here. I won't force you to come if you don't want to. But please come over some time. I'd like you to hear us play. Kind of like a second opinion on things."

He paused. He was waiting for Akari to answer. He thought he could lure her out, meaning every word he said. His green eyes still fixed to where Akari was hiding. He let out a quiet sigh.

_Oh well, better luck next time. I do hope she visits._

"I guess you could say you're welcome here."

When he didn't get any response again, he turned away from the hiding spot and proceeded inside.

_Phew, that was close._

A sigh of relief escapes her well curved mouth. She could still feel her cheeks pink from the experience. She made a mental note to herself, to be more careful when exploring certain rooms. She silently walked across the First music room, trying not to attract attention again. She could hear the orchestra playing, the violinist dominating the intoxicating melodies each performed. They were doing a fairly good job, but it was obvious they needed practice.

_I guess you could say you're welcome here._

His words echoed on her mind. Was she really welcome there? She leaned on the door, hoping to hear more of the music, but she restrained herself. Now she really _was _disturbing their practice.

So she walked towards another set of double doors, which was across the first one she visited.

_Okay._

_The Second Music Room… Hmmm… I wonder…_

Curiosity got the better of her once again.

_It would seem that I'll never learn…. _She chuckled at the thought.

With one controlled push, she tried to push the door open. And unsuccessful pout formed on her lips then she tried once more. No good. This time, she pushed it with all her might and as silently as she could, keeping in mind that the orchestra was across the hall. Even though they were practicing with loud volumes of music, she still wanted to be cautions. She heaved once, heaved twice but to no avail. When she tried turning the handle as silently as she could, she found that it was locked from the inside!

_Ah, crap._

So that was why she couldn't open it. She stopped trying to open the locked door and tried to listen to what was going on inside. She heard music, (just as she expected) and concluded that this too was another group of musicians practicing. Maybe that time, that really was a closed practice.

_Okay, moving on…_

She walked towards the room next to where the playing orchestra was practicing. She was still cautious about her movements, and even pretended she was a ninja on a mission. She smirked at the thought of her pretending to be a soldier of the night once again. She absolutely loved the thought of training in the ways of the ninja and executing the moves effortlessly, as if she'd been doing so for hundreds of years of experience. She wanted to leap, but it might cause noise. She stopped playing ninja and got serious when she got to the gold plated doors of the next room.

_Alright, The Third Music Room…_

_**~X~X~X~**_

"Sempai, would you please do a favor for me?" A certain brown eyed "prince" called out.

"What is it, Haruhi?" The other one questioned.

"Kyouya-sempai, would you please refill our band-aid stocks? It's running low and recently, people are having random cuts." Haruhi simply remarked as she handed Kyouya a pack of bandages.

"Why? What about you?" Kyouya asked monotonously.

"Well, my teacher wanted to speak to me after class, so I'm going to be late."

"Not too late, I hope."

"Alright sempai, I'm off." Haruhi said as she walked away from her sempai.

Kyouya stared at the pack of striped bandages intently. He was pondering for a few short moments. Something was quite off, but Kyouya couldn't seem to put his finger on it.

Kyouya Ootori slowly walked through the massive hallway of Ouran. He was thinking of ways to get more profit out of their future gigs. He subconsciously made a left, still drowned in his thoughts. He was used to this route. In fact, he practically passed by these familiar corridors everyday. He walked passed The First Music Room. The orchestra was starting on another piece again, and it would seem like the Second Music room have been emptied only moments before he had arrived.

He pushed his glasses upward. He sighed as the thought of yet another normal afternoon will go by for him. He reached his destination: the gold plated doors of The Third Music Room. He was in these walls only a few hours ago, but that was a memory he tried to forget. It was all in the past and hopefully he didn't have to deal with another mishap with that perfect doll from his dream. But, as life has proven to be mischievous, it doesn't seem to get tired of proving him wrong.

As he quietly turned the knobs of the double doors he heard faint sounds, as if someone was playing music in there.

_Music? I know I shouldn't be surprised, considering this is a music room, but… _

He held his breath. He didn't make a single move. The door was still shut for a few seconds. He didn't open the door, but he had a pretty good idea what or who was on the other side.

…_Could it be?_

Symphonies of various melodies filled the air as Hanagurashi Akari played various tunes with the guitar she found a few minutes ago. She got tired playing with her usual instrument, the cello, so she decided to try something new.

Although she was quite knowledgeable in playing said instrument, but she was what people sometimes regard as rusty. So, accidents couldn't be avoided.

"Ouch!" Akari exclaimed. A string just broke off from the guitar and it hit Akari's fingers. It brushed passed her flesh and onto her perfect yellow uniform. A ripping sound was heard when the runaway string passed trough her sleeve. The thought of explaining the rip in her _new _uniform made chills run down her spine.

She didn't pay any importance to her crimson stained fingers, and focused her attention on the guitar she borrowed.

She cursed under her breath. She briefly wrapped her bleeding fingers with her handkerchief and quickly retrieved the guitar case where she got the guitar, unknowing that she was being watched.

Kyouya opened the door as soon as he heard Akari. He was slightly distressed, but only watched how the events turned out. He was only peeping through a small space on the door, so that he'll pass by unnoticed.

He was lost in his thoughts for a few moments, thinking of nothing but what would have happened if he helped her right then and there. Will she get surprised by the sudden turn of events? Well, he knew he would. But he regained his consciousness once again. He was now watching her tune the guitar. She got lucky, finding that spare string. She worked quickly, desperately tried to cover the mistake she just committed.

_Oh dear, just when I thought I was done._

When she was done, she placed the guitar back to its rightful place, only to let go of it a few short inches away. She got startled, but the reflexes she developed from playing ninja came in handy. She caught the guitar case before it collided with the marble floor.

_Phew, that was close_

For the second time that day, Akari thought of that phrase. She smiled, but then winced when a sharp sudden pain shot through the hand that was holding the guitar. She then realized that the hand that caught the heavy guitar case what her right hand, her _injured_ hand.

"A wounded hand shouldn't be placed under pressure."

"What?" Akari said, turning back to face the person. She winced once more at the pain. She didn't realize her handkerchief had turned crimson and that blood was slowly forming droplets of red rubies, slowly giving in to gravity's pull.

Kyouya took the guitar case from her hand and inspected the handle. No blood yet. Then returned it to where it rightfully belongs.

"Right, let's dress that wound, shall we?"

_**~X~X~X~**_

They sat on the table near the window, the same table where they were earlier. Kyouya gently removed the bloody handkerchief from her injured hand. It was covered in blood and the wounds were not easy to spot, so he placed his own handkerchief on the table and set down her hand on it so that his handkerchief cushioned her hand.

"Don't move your hand. I'll only be a moment." He ordered. Akari nodded, feeling a little guilt ridden because she considered herself as a nuisance for Kyouya.

Kyouya came back with a clean towel on one hand, and a basin full of lukewarm water was balanced in the other. Akari wanted to help, but she remembered the order given to her. He set down the basin next to her hand and went off again.

This time, he returned with alcohol, povidone-iodine, and some other agents that would help clean her wounds. He also set it down near her hand.

"You were playing Ave Maria on the guitar, right?" Kyouya questioned as he sat down and cushioned her hand with another towel.

"Y-yeah."

There was a short silence. For a moment, Akari thought that it could go on until he was done cleaning her hand. She didn't realize how wrong she was.

"Ave Maria is a subtle piece. It should be played gently." Kyouya remarked off-handedly as he cleaned Akari's wounds.

_I thought it was bad, but I shouldn't have worried so much. _

"This will sting a bit." Kyouya warned. He applied a small amount of alcohol to Akari's wounds. Akari winced at the pain but was calmed down when Kyouya gently blew on it. Then he proceeded on cleaning the rest of her palm.

_I never thought he could be so gentle._

He silently thanked Haruhi for the multicolored bandages she handed out to him earlier. She was right, people _were _getting random cuts.

"You played it so roughly. Although I thought it was pretty good, it would be better if you would play it softly next time. I think you placed too much pressure on the string, that's why it snapped." He continued; the slightest bit of concern could be detected from his voice.

Akari was sort of overwhelmed at what the host was showing.

_Feelings._

Although it could only make a tiny dent in that emotionless face he tries so very hard to put up, Akari could still sense it. A smile danced along her face. Everything was so surreal.

"I wish it was like this everyday." She suddenly blurted out.

Realizing what she said, heat quickly rushed to her cheeks, making it pink as ripe strawberries. Kyouya was so caught up with cleaning her wounds; he didn't really hear much of what she said, nonetheless he had an idea about it.

"Pardon?" Kyouya said as he looked up and locked eyes with the flushed Akari. He wanted to make sure if what he thought he heard was the thing she said. His onyx eyes were piercing through her cerulean ones, as if he could see her core, maybe even what she was thinking of, or what she just said.

"Ah, n-nothing! Th-thank you for the kindness you've shown to me, Ootori-san. And I'm sorry, I'm being a nuisance to you." Akari replied, trying to look away from him. She then turned her attention to the sparkly marble floor. She wanted to get distracted.

Silence engulfed the room as each turned back to what they were doing.

"No need for the apologies. Please, feel free to call me Kyouya." He said as he held tightly the hand that he just dressed. It was covered with multi-colored-striped bandages. Her attention turned back to him, not noticing that he was still holding her hand. She stared at him intently. Subconsciously, he planted her hand in between his, giving warmth to her wounds, and he did the one thing he hasn't done in a long time.

He smiled.

_**A/N: Hazaaa~ I have finished chaptah thuree. I am terribly sorry for the late update. I am sorry for the morbid part, there. Old habits die hard. xD**_

_**Aya: Have you fainted yet?**_

_**Please review! I promise I'll try to update sooner. Please bear with me!**_

_**Byebee~!**_


	4. Chapter 4: Greys of the Heavens

_**A/N: FIRST OFF: IM TERRIBLY SORRY FOR THE SUPER LATE UPDATE! I had difficulty, I know. But please forgive me!**_

_**Now shall we start?**_

_**This was long been pending in my computer and school didn't give me a chance to write it. There was a problem along the way though. I lost my mojo, therefore not being able to write. I know this is a short chapter but please bear with me! This is SO on the fluff side! Enjoy!**_

_**Chapter 4: Greys of the Heavens**_

Patches of colors swung from side to side, mimicking the movements of a graceful pendulum. A lone cherry earphone hung lazily, slowly getting tangled in stray locks of curly hazelnut hair, as its counterpart was precariously perched in a delicate earlobe. Opposed to what she was playing only moments ago, her accustomed ear was assaulted with various guitar solos and an earful of screaming in the foreground.

It was around the time of sunset. The orange and yellow beams of light emanated from the sun, engulfing the massive corridors of the prestigious Ouran High School. A lone figure trailed its beauty, as she retraced her steps a tenth of a foot a time; pacing slowly, committing to memory every interesting detail the hallways had to offer her.

As the next song shuffled on her iPod, she was once again plunged with the dilemma her thoughts weren't quite finished toying with yet. She was de novo vis-à-vis with both the second and the first music rooms that spiked her peak of interest the most. She had quietly passed the Third Music Room, giving respect to what she though as Mr. Ootori's son's wishes.

An image of the youngest Ootori's smiling face suddenly popped into Akari Hanagurashi's mind, causing heat to quickly leave her body and rush to her marble hued complexion. The mere thought of that close proximity to any guy was awkward, as it is flattering.

For a few seconds, a bright color of strawberry was prominent on her face, before she managed to shove those thoughts to a solitary dark corner, somewhere in the contours of her mind, making her expression calm and collected again.

Hanagurashi pondered for a moment. She was wondering if her curiosity still overpowered her reasoning, if she dared to defy the rules of the little game she was playing with herself.

_Should I… once more?_ She questioningly thought to herself; placing a hand on her chin.

Curiosity was always the murdered of innocents cats so, this was obviously a knock-out task for it.

She grinned. She always craved for that exhilarating feeling she was experiencing now. She felt as though she was defying some unnatural law, and the consequences were indefinite. Yes, this may be a small thing for some, but for someone being trapped in 4 generic walls may feel a lot of freedom at this point.

_Okay then, but just a little peek. It's getting late anyway._ Akari reasoned out, a smirk still plastered to her face.

Ninja mode was quickly turned to its maximum. She was moving as 'stealthily' as she could manage in the bright yellow balloon-like dress she was wearing, taking in the intricate designs and colors posed by the second music room. But nothing really stood out for her there, so she moved on to the first. She silently left the second music room and moved on.

She hesitated for a moment, but then impulse took over her motor skills. She placed her hand on the handle and turned.

She approached the first music room more discreetly this time, slowing her pace in the process. She quietly approached the center of the music room; with the mentality that the room was best observed when one was in the core of everything. She took minuscule steps, slowly taking everything in.

It was absolutely breathtaking. The way the beams of light lit up the contours of this grand room was absolutely astounding. There was hardly any difference between this room and the other she had already been; apart from a few instruments here and there but hey, it was a music room after all. But the one thing that stood out the most was the view of it all.

Whoever the architect of this building was a pure genius. It was as if she was perched at the very top of the building, looking down on everything. The window overlooked the wide open greeneries of Ouran and the hills as its background. The city trailed around its skyline, amplifying the feel of them being isolated in some modern wonderland.

"Beautiful, isn't it?"

Shock filled her system with a sudden amount of speed that caught her off-guard. Adrenaline quickly took over her body and ninja mode was at its peak. She whipped her head to the side, her hazelnut curls flowed, gracefully following the movements of its owner.

Her gaze met a person leaning on the doors of the music room she politely left wide open for anyone's free access. Her cerulean orbs were radiating in the contrasts of the reds, oranges and the yellows of the room. She inspected the details of the intruder of her sanctum with unmasked curiosity: black pants, blue blazers; the standard uniform for the men.

She worked her way up, taking in her intruder's appearance. He possessed slightly curled tuffs of strawberry blonde hair, which she found quite amusing for some reason. Then, she finally met his electrifying emerald eyes that struck her with awe. It was as if it wielded lighting, but the warm gaze he gave her suggested otherwise.

Realization hit her. Hard. She was staring! For no apparent reason at that. Crimson assaulted her face once more, as she shuffled her gaze away from the stranger. She was flushed yet again.

_Dammit, man. Dammit._

It was him. The stranger she met earlier.

He could only chuckle at her innocence, which made Akari avert her eyes away even more. Then his body suddenly tensed up. Our damsel sensed the change of position and quickly turned her eyes back to his figure. Now, he was the one staring at her. Strawberry blonde hair, warm smile, and that static charged-like emerald orbs; all heading towards her at a slightly fast speed.

"So, we meet again."

_**~X~X~X~**_

"I am quite puzzled at the fact that all of you are still staring at me even though I am earlier that everyone else this time around." Kyouya commented rather off-handedly. He was busy putting away the materials he used earlier that afternoon. He was currently putting away a basin with partially bloodstained water he used to clean the wounds of a certain Hanagurashi Akari.

He sighed inwardly. The turnout of events was definitely _not _what he had planned, especially that last part. He seriously doesn't know what's going on with him. But when it comes to her, he just couldn't resist.

"Ooh! Kyouya-chan! Did you offer cake to the pretty lady?" Hunny-sempai asked innocently; engulfing a big chunk of and ingenious blend of chocolate, cheese and strawberries all in one cake. He chewed happily; Usa-chan in one hand, armed with a fork in the other. He was beside Mori-sempai whom he had offered a piece of this delicious confectionary multiple times, but always resulted to futile attempts.

He was going to take another bite of his cake, when he realized that Kyouya hasn't answered his question yet. But before he could follow up the question, Kyouya answered briefly.

"Unfortunately, Tamaki's arrival prevented me from doing so" he replied casually.

"…or anything for that matter" He continued, but loud enough for only his ears ho hear.

"What was that, Mummy? You told me I wasn't interrupting anything!" Tamaki said coyly, trying his best to bash his eyelashes innocently at Kyouya.

For a very brief moment the youngest Ootori's system was engulfed with sudden apprehension, thinking that Tamaki, or any other host club member overheard what he just said, but it immediately subsided after no sarcastic comment followed. On the outside, he might have looked emotionless to an extent, but for him on the inside, he felt like he was blushing like a freshly picked tomato. He didn't have a response in mind, and the silence was getting long enough to being called awkward. He hoped that someone, _anyone_, would break the quiescence of the moment.

"What's with that girl anyway, sempai?" The Hitachiin twins asked in unison.

Relief escaped Kyouya Ootori in a form of a sigh. It was undetectable, but it was all Kyouya could do to express it. He was almost done returning all the tools he used to clean her wounds – and that included filling up their stocks with fresh multicolored band aids. He pondered on what the twins had just said. They wouldn't believe him if he told them about his dream, wouldn't they? Would they? Kyouya shook his head lightly, dismissing such thoughts. That dream was utter nonsense, and he would be better off forgetting that ridiculously enjoyable dream of his.

"I honestly have no clue either."

_**~X~X~X~**_

**6:30 pm**

Kyouya Ootori was _it_ for that afternoon. It was unreasonable that he had to clean up after the meeting since there were janitors and cleaning ladies that will do that job for them. After he was done cleaning up his bloodied mess, Tamaki and the others decided that he should at least give them a proper explanation on who was that Hanagurashi girl and why he was late. When he failed to at least give them a coherent explanation, they all hailed the verdict to make Kyouya clean for that afternoon. Although he didn't like it, it was an opportunity to help ease up his mind about that perfect doll, _his _perfect doll.

The sun already left the skies. The assortment of violets and the hues of blue were all mixing above the youngest son of the Ootori family. As he approached the gates of the school, he can't help but notice the beauty of the night sky – and how much he enjoyed it. His chauffeur was already by the gates waiting for him. But all he wanted was to stare at the star-lit heavens. He was a little bit disappointed when he reached his car. He couldn't see the sky much in there. Nonetheless, he had no choice.

"Good evening, young master" His chauffeur addressed him.

With a slight nod of recognition and his return of the formality, the chauffeur opened the back door of the Ootori Family's Jubilee Silver Rolls Royce Phantom. Before he slid in the comfort of the English White leather of the backseat of his car, his brandy hued orbs caught something. He looked to his side, only to find hazelnut hair greeting his sights.

It was her, yet again.

For a very brief moment, he stared at her, hoping that she would notice. His chauffeur understood why his young master was like that. She was pretty, no one can deny that. He was discreetly giving a nod of approval to that girl and the young master.

"She has been there an hour before you came, young master Kyouya." He said, sensing the wonder in his master's eyes.

It appears that she was distressed. She was staring at her cell phone with worried eyes, constantly flipping though it. Seeing that she doesn't notice either himself or his master dismayed him a bit. It was a shame. If his master wished to go this instant he was bound to oblige, even if it was against his wishes.

Seconds pass, yet she still haven't noticed the pairs of eyes that were staring at her. Kyouya got it. It was time to leave.

"Let's go, Claude." He said to his chauffer.

Claude couldn't quite put it, but something was off with his master's tone. He chose to keep silent, as he helped his master with his door. Once he slammed the door shut, cerulean eyes turned to him. He sort of felt sorry for her, for the girl had anguish deep within her eyes, almost on the verge of tears. He was going to request for the young master to attend to her; they seemed to know each other in the least. But his young master grew impatient, and three taps from the glass window of the car gave meaning that it was time to leave. With a sigh, he bowed at her direction as a sign of respect to her and went into the driver's seat. And he drove away from her, unknowing that his master had the same intention as he. His master's gaze still fixed on her silhouette, slowly vanishing in the distance.

_**~X~X~X~**_

It was getting late, and Kyouya Ootori had just come from a little soiree their company threw. It was for their successful campaign or something like that. Luckily, there were no classes the day after, so he could immediately relax when he got home. The Jubilee Silver Rolls Royce Phantom rode in the distance, but as time progressed it also slowed down, catching what little interest the master of the car had.

"Claude, is something the matter?" Kyouya asked monotonously, his eyes still fixed outside of the tinted windows of his car.

"It's nothing to worry about young master. We've just encountered a little traffic."

Dismissing it as something insignificant, Kyouya continued to gaze at the world outside his window. It was the usual humdrum world everyone lived in. The streets were still busy. People were scattered everywhere, even though it was already past 10.

Traffic was still moving slower than usual. They have been on the same spot for almost 15 minutes now. The day was tiring for Kyouya, his eyes already half-lidded. He was close to leaning on the window, but he stopped himself. He wasn't supposed to be sleeping in the car. So, he sat there upright and half-awake, waiting for something interesting to keep him attentive.

For random reasons even he does not understand, he decided to count the number of people wearing yellow tonight. The image of that ripped shoulder part of Akari's uniform flashed into his mind upon just _thinking_ of the color. But he was too tired to mess with his brain right now and he needed a quick pick-me-up.

He spots one, a baby with a pale Jasmine frog suit passed by his gaze seconds after. He spots another one, a man inside a black car. Another, then another. In minutes he has spotted 10 people in total, but he was still tired as hell. Apparently his pick-me-up didn't work on him.

Just as he was decided to stop counting, he spots another one. This one was about to leave the bookstore. Kyouya was already half-awake when he saw this person, so his brain wasn't all that sharp to process all that info like it usually does. It was a girl, judging by the length of the hair and the softness of her features. He really didn't see much of her face, because she was desperately trying to wipe forthcoming tears before it came. Her once-tranquil cerulean orbs were now unfocused, clouded with worry and frustration.

_Wait… Cerulean?_

He got his pick-me-up alright. Cerulean was not a natural eye color for a Japanese person to have. But since the boom of contact lenses and costume playing it has since been a trend. Still, yellow? Cerulean eyes? It couldn't be. There were too many coincidences. But his chauffeur confirmed his suspicions.

"Young master, I don't mean to intrude on your business, but isn't that the young girl we saw in front of the gates of your school?" Claude asked, unknowing that his aged voice was echoing in his master's mind.

"Claude, I don't mean this as an insult, but are you sure?" He replied back, already ware of what his chauffeur was going to answer.

He paused for a second before answering.

"I am sir."

And those three words plunged the Jubilee Silver into silence. If it was up to Claude, this young lady would have been in the car even before they revved away from Ouran. This was most unusual for his master. Unusual indeed. Positive that the traffic will be in a standstill for a longer while, he decided to take a gamble.

"Young master Kyouya…" He started off firmly, aware of his place, yet making sure he doesn't step out of its bounds.

_**~X~X~X~**_

She was standing by the streetlamp conveniently located next to a Rolls Royce Phantom. It was similar to her car, but only it was a Ghost model. She was there because the bookstore was closing its doors to customers, aware of the fact that it was closing time for most shops. She had in her hand what seemed to be a map and was focused on scrutinizing its contents. She had her iPod on play, her cherry earphones replaced by a pair of silver waterproof ones. Her iPod was in the comfort of warm orange leather pouch, nestled in her pocket. A new song starts to play; the one she favors the most in her music selection.

_Somewhere only we know…_

There is rain that falls kindly as well. As the hums of the first stanzas of the song reached her ears, little droplets of tears fall atop her body. Unfortunately for Hanagurashi Akari, this wasn't that sort of rain.

As it starts to rain, what little population of people scrambled to find some sort of protection from the impending drops of water. Others pulled out an assortment of colorful shades – umbrellas. This damsel didn't have an umbrella, so she too was hunting for something to shade her. It was implausible, but it was so, shade was far from where she stood, and she got drenched before she could save anything from the rain that was fast-falling on them.

Now Akari was on the brink of brawling. She was on a standstill, imagining that the rain would wash all of her problems away. She was having a bad evening. And as time passes, she cared less and less about what the people that she shared these streets with thought about her. She was disgusted with herself; to think that she was this weak. She desperately needed someone to comfort her, to tell her it was going to be okay. A hug would be a great bonus too.

Just then, the droplets ceased to fall on her already wet, delicate form. Now, there was nothing to mask her tears that were silently caressing her cheeks. She was scared to turn around. She honestly didn't know what to expect. She even got the nerve to joke around – to think that this person might be a crook or something more terrifying. But something made her change her mind. Five words were all it took for her to completely trust this stranger.

"It's going to be alright."

She turned.

The chorus hummed in her ears, echoing in the contours of her mind.

_And if you have a minute, why don't we go__, __talk about it somewhere only we know?__This could be the end of everything,__so why don't we go somewhere only we know? Somewhere only we know._

A grey umbrella graced her sights. She never thought that seeing grey would bring her a tremendous amount of joy. The warm brandy eyes of the youngest Ootori was staring at her with concern that somewhat took her aback. Her tears were burning behind her eye sockets, Akari refusing to show them to Kyouya. But with all the emotions she was keeping to herself, the walls crumbled, and tears were once again slowly caressing her cheeks.

It felt like an eternity, each other drowned in the others' gazes. People were starting to suspect, started to stare at them, but neither of them cared in the least. It was like they were the only two people there. Impulsively, Kyouya touched Akari's cheek, gently wiping a tear that was giving in to gravity's pull.

She was the first to break the silence.

"Why are you…?" She started, but then stopped. She was chocking on her words, tears were preventing them from coming out. She willed it to come, but no sound came.

It didn't need to.

The scent of bergamot, citrus, and jasmine assaulted her senses. She didn't know why, but it relaxed her a little bit. She collided with his chest. The warmth of his embrace made Akari feel protected somehow, like he knew exactly what she needed. No feeling of embarrassment was present in her. She openly took the gesture, even though there was no intention, no warning of the said action.

Again, he repeated.

"It's going to be alright."

_A/N: Tissue anyone? I hope you enjoyed!_

_By the way, here._

_.com_

_Please review on this!_


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